A judge said Monday the former chief of staff of U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander can be released to his parents while he awaits trial on charges of possessing and attempting to distribute child pornography.

Magistrate Judge John M. Facciola said Jesse Ryan Loskarn will remain under high-intensity home monitoring during his release. He will be required to wear an ankle bracelet for monitoring.

Loskarn, 35, waived his right to a preliminary hearing in U.S. District Court in Washington. The case will now go to the grand jury.

Loskarn's parents, Chuck and Laura Loskarn of Maryland, were in the courtroom for their son's hearing. They declined to speak to reporters afterward.

Loskarn, who goes by Ryan, is accused of buying videos showing young boys and girls engaged in sexually explicit conduct from a movie production company’s web site between November 2010 and March 2011. He also is accused of downloading and attempting to distribute child pornography videos over the Internet.

During a raid on his home last Wednesday, federal agents confiscated a portable hard drive that contained hundreds of videos showing underage boys engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Court records say Loskarn tried to hide the hard drive by placing it on a ledge outside a second-floor window as federal agents were ramming their way into his house.

Loskarn faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted on the possession charge and five to 20 years on the distribution charge.

Loskarn had worked for Alexander for years in different capacities and was named his chief of staff in November 2011. Alexander placed him on administrative leave while the raid was occurring on his home and then fired him a few hours later.